From 22 February to 2 March, students Lin Xiangning (M.MUS1, Piano, B.MUS ‘19) and Lim Jing Jie (B.MUS4, Voice) attended The L.A. Experience, a week-long programme which immersed participants in workshops, songwriting studies, performances, recording sessions and masterclasses in the rich landscape of Los Angeles, California, US. The trip was organised by ConNext partner, the USC Thornton School of Music.
The experience featured 19 students from Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Italy, Australia and Singapore collaborating and creating music in an environment which Jing Jie described as “evoking a strong communal spirit of inspiration and creativity.” With their diverse demographics, participants brought with them unique stories and various musical backgrounds, ranging from classical piano and opera to jazz and electronic music production.
From the beginning of the programme, it was clear to Xiangning that she would soon embark on a journey to discover her artistic identity. On her experiences from the first day, she shared: “against the aura of versatility, self-assurance, involvement and vibrancy that others seemed to exude, I felt increasingly self-conscious of how I conveyed my artistic identity. The tension within me eased off as conversations delved deeper. I found resonance in others’ artistic struggle, found understanding and amusement in perspectives regarding the role of music in our respective societies, and most importantly, wonderment at how proactive and fearless many of my fellow participants are in sharing their music and seeking opportunities for collaboration.”
During the week, Xiangning collaborated with a jazz guitarist and electronic music producer. Despite their different artistic perspectives, they were able to share many similar musical ideas and influences which transcended her perceptions of genre-defined labels. On recording their original composition in the famous EastWest Studio, she felt “a surge of pride and joy from the bottom of my heart. For having had only three days to work on the song, I was proud of what we created. The product was strikingly different from the songs that others composed in terms of form, style, and texture. It was woven with our ideas through this joint exploration.”
Over the course of the programme, Jing Jie also enjoyed the refreshing, stimulating environment that nurtured a new sense of confidence in his performance and challenged him to consider the inspiration behind his music. On his main takeaways from the programme, he shared: “it was a pleasure to witness how participants were unafraid to ask questions if they were unsure and bold to acknowledge their occasional lack of knowledge. It got me reflecting about my own impetus for making music. Oftentimes, we may get too caught up with practicality and the idealistic drive and ambition which got us started with playing music in the first place. It is also easy to develop a sense of complacency that further traps ourselves in our own bubble. But music certainly does not operate that way, and requires a great deal of openness and collaboration; every day is a new learning journey.”
He also noted, “Through numerous workshops and talks by industry professionals, it was clear that the overarching takeaway was allowing yourself to acknowledge and explore things you do not already know, and hustling for it, allowing yourself to be subservient to the process of making art and the many possibilities it can create.”
A common thread in both Jing Jie and Xiangning’s reflections was seeing and experiencing art with new vibrancy through the sharing of mutual interests and passions with artists from around the world. This was summarised by Xiangning:
To have so profoundly experienced a week of life and art intertwining effortlessly with each other, it felt like I was standing on the precipice of something new.
Listen to the track Jing Jie recorded with fellow participant Matias Christoffersen here.
Article by Priscilla Fong (Year 3, Voice)
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